Month: March 2015

March 24, 2015

By: Chelsea Haley, DKI Ventures, LLC

Remember – Safety First!

As spring nears and the sun starts creeping out, more workers head outside to complete construction projects. National Work Zone Awareness Week, running March 23-27, 2015, encourages safe construction practices for workers and safe driving for civilians in these work zones.

Did you know, over 20,000 workers are injured each year in construction work zones? These injuries are due to a number of causes – equipment failure, reduced visibility, distracted drivers, slips and falls and more.

Though, whatever the cause, it’s important to know the risks and be prepared with the correct safety guidelines to prevent these injuries.

1. Train all your employees on the proper equipment and tools to use and how to use them.
2. Consider holding weekly safety meetings to prepare for and expect the unexpected. Communicate any changes, and discuss potential problems and their proper responses for future action.
3. Ensure every employee knows his surroundings (location, traffic conditions, potential hazards, etc.)
4. Provide proper safety gear to wear on the job (eye protection, headgear, boots, etc.)
5. Wear flashing lights or reflective tape on clothing and equipment

A driver is five times more likely to notice a worker at night and make any necessary lane or speed changes promptly if the worker is wearing reflective clothing than regular, or even orange-colored clothes.

6. Create a traffic control plan to alert drivers with proper signage to warn them ahead of time if they need to slow down, stop or take an alternative route to their destination.
7. Space road cones closely together to make sure drivers are aware of beginnings and endings of lane changes and to avoid cars from weaving in and out of unsafe roads.

March 17, 2015

By: Chelsea Haley, DKI Ventures, LLC

Are you drowning in a sea of files on your desktop? Maybe it’s time for some spring cleaning! Many participate in spring cleaning for the home, but neglect the office space, which could be harmful to your success and the way others perceive your professionalism.

According to a study by Office Depot, disorganization can cause the following negative effects on office productivity:

• Lost time
• Missed deadlines
• Meeting tardiness

This spring, try these simple organization and cleaning tips to help increase productivity and focus in the workplace. Practicing these five tips every few months should help you maintain a clean and organized office space.

Recycle

Sort through the papers on and in your desk. Determine what can be tossed, and what you need to keep. Shred and recycle the discard pile. Then, consider storing those required files on your computer to limit the amount of excess paper.

For those leftover papers, file and label for organization and easy access.

Digital Cleaning

In addition to storing files on your computer, make sure to organize these as well. Laura Stack, President of time-management consulting firm The Productivity Pro says, “Most people spend at least 30 minutes to an hour a day looking for things.”

Label your digital documents and files to easily access. Don’t clutter your main screen with random files or electronic post-it notes. Instead, organize these in individual folders in your documents section, and add your appointments to your Outlook or Microsoft calendar.

Declutter your Desk

Is your desk distracting? Aesthetically unappealing? Limit the amount of items covering your desk. This will not only give you more space to work, but also prevent distractions. According to a new survey by the staffing firm, Adecco, 57 percent of workers admit to judging a co-worker based on the cleanliness of their workspace.

Consider storing files, supplies and miscellaneous items in drawers and cabinets. Keep your desktop limited to a monitor, keyboard, phone, lamp, pens, notepad and a unique item, such as a plant or picture frame.

Reboot

Reset your computer, delete Internet cookies, and run your required updates. All of these, as well as excess files, can slow down your system or cause your computer to crash. Schedule a weekly reboot to keep your system running well and prevent you from running to IT more often. An optimal time for this is during your lunch break so you know you have the time to be without your computer for a short time.

Disinfect

While it doesn’t directly correlate to organization, three quarters of workers claim a clean office makes them more productive. Throw away your garbage, wipe down your desktop, shake out the crumbs and dust in your keyboard or use a compressed air can, and don’t forget to disinfect your phone and headset.

March 10, 2015

By: Chelsea Haley, DKI Ventures, LLC

You know the feeling of dread when you wake up in the cold, dark, winter mornings? That reluctance to emerge from your warm, comfortable covers only to hit the frigid air and anything else in your way as you stumble across the dark room half asleep because your body is taking any and all energy to warm up your core…

This scenario is similar to how our bodies function in the well-lit, but cold atmosphere of an office. The lights naturally help us wake up, but if your workspace is too cold to your liking, it is possible that you still feel tired or distracted. This is because your body is using its energy supply to try to keep you warm.

The problem – You now have less energy to be productive, which could cost a business.

Some businesses believe the average room temperature should be 68 degrees, but this is not quite accurate.

Cornell University conducted a study at the Insurance Office of America headquarters in Florida, in which they altered the thermostat from 77 degrees Fahrenheit to 68 degrees. The employees with the temperature decrease produced 44 percent more errors and were less than half as productive as the employees with their thermostats remaining at 77 degrees. According to the results, the lower temperatures were not just colder, but distracted the employees from their work. This simple temperature change cost the employers 20 percent more per hour, per employee.

Though men and women differ when it comes to agreeing on a comfortable temperature, further research has shown an optimal office temperature is between 70 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit. This range produces the highest productivity in the workplace, especially for employees who sit at their desks constantly without much activity to circulate the blood throughout.

Depending on the size of your office – the number of bodies and amount of movement- experiment with different temperatures in the 70’s degree Fahrenheit range. You won’t be able to please everyone, but if the majority of the office is content, think about the amount of increased productivity, and, in turn, the decrease of costs. Not to mention, those who still run cold in this optimal temperature can be easily satisfied with a light jacket or blanket.